


Mister Captain Rogers

by Inktastic1711



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Captain America Sam Wilson, Gen, It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2020-01-04 09:32:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18340940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inktastic1711/pseuds/Inktastic1711
Summary: In which I write something entirely self-indulgent about Steve catching up on some Americana.Steve first encounters distant cousin, Fred Rogers, while babysitting. He starts playing the old episodes in the evening and letting Fred Rogers’ calm cadence lull him into sleep. He sleeps fairly well, although his dreams begin to be punctuated by cardigans and puppets.





	Mister Captain Rogers

It started after Steve retired. He wasn’t bored exactly, and he wasn’t retired exactly, either. He wasn’t Captain America anymore, though. Sam was, and damn good at it. Steve was just Steve. Commander Rogers if you wanted to be formal. He still consulted with the Avengers, and he was still willing to suit up for high level emergencies, but mostly, he was Steve. His time and life was his own now.

So maybe it was inevitable that he would develop a new obsession. Something to dive into. That it would come from watching children's programming with one of Sam’s nieces was, well, it wasn’t so terribly surprising in the end. 

Stella was curled up in her Uncle Steve’s lap, with a StarkPad balanced in front of them while she swiped through tv offerings, fighting the sleep her little body wanted. Steve was indulgent in the way that childless aunts and uncles are best at, eager to please and reluctant to cause any pain. He was a pushover. So letting Stella fight nap time was par for the course, which her mother knew, but also, why wouldn’t you let Commander Rogers babysit your kid for free? Especially when they both enjoyed it so much and her regular sitter fell through. 

So Stella swiped through a seemingly endless line of programs with bright colors and wacky characters, while rubbing her eyes and leaning against Steve’s chest, and finally landed on a program that appeared a big anachronistic from it’s thumb nail. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. “Quiet show,” Stella said, and nestled back against Steve.

Steve was enchanted by the show. The calm pacing and speech. The quaint puppets. The cardigans. The episode they watched included a bit about how crayons were made, which both Stella and Steve loved, although after that, Stella dropped off, but Steve continued watching until the end, and found himself oddly comforted by Mr. Roger’s parting words, assuring him that he liked you, just the way you are. 

After Stella went home, Steve put the show out of his mind. A few nights later, in a bout of insomnia, Steve found himself doing the same endless scroll of entertainment options in his bed, when Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood popped up as a recommendation to keep watching. Steve clicked play, remembering that soothing effect it had on Stella. And it worked. Steve nodded off just the end as Mr. Rogers assured him once again, that he liked him just the way he was. Steve was hooked.

In the daylight he did a deep dive, looking up the history of the tv show and the personal history of Fred Rogers. He was nearly certain that he had found a distant familial connection between himself and Fred when Sam showed up for lunch. 

“Why didn’t you tell me about Mr. Rogers?” He demanded.

“Huh?”

“Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. The greatest show ever made. Why have I never heard of this before, Wilson?” Sam’s face did something like the gerbil in his head was trying to catch back up. Then he laughed.

“The greatest TV show is Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood?” Sam bent over the table and shook his head. “What are you talking about, man? I thought you were over the wholesome American Pie act?”

“I am. But. It’s a good show, Sam. Stella showed it to me.” Sam laughed again.

“It is a good show. For kids.”

“But he’s so nice and sincere. And it’s not like the neon, blaring crap most of those kids shows are. It’s, it’s lovely really. I think there should be more things that nice on TV.”

“Yeah, you might be right,” Sam agreed. He regarded his friend for a moment, taking in how sincere Steve himself looked, “I guess I never told you about it, because kids stuff didn’t seem to be terribly important. And, well,” He trails off with a hand gesture.

“And what?”

“I didn’t want you to think I was making fun of you, ya know? Might have felt too on the nose.”

“Oh. Ok. That was thoughtful.” Steve got quiet then, returning to his food, and looking down, until Sam broke the silence.

“Steve. Talk to me. What else?”

“I’m sad that he’s gone. Like I just found out about him, but he’s gone already. I missed it. He was only 10 years younger than me,” He looked up to see Sam’s kind eyes on him, “And I’m sad there’s not more out there like him. I don’t know.”

“Hey, it’s alright. I think I felt a little like that when I found out about Jimi Hendrix in high school.”

“Who?”

“One of the most influential electric guitarists ever. And he was black. And 15 year old Sammy played his records on repeat almost a full two weeks before my mom told me his died in 1970. Pretty sure I locked myself in my room,” Steve smiles a little. “I know that’s not quite the same. But we all miss some things we would have liked more of.”

“I know, it’s just, why aren’t there more like him?”

“Steve, there are. Just not many with TV shows. And I think he’s probably played a role in a lot of those good people’s lives.” Steve nods along. He knows Sam is right, there are plenty of good people. They move on to the latest Avenger gossip and make plans to go to watch a game next week.

 

Steve’s obsession does not abate. He starts playing the old episodes in the evening and letting Fred Rogers’ calm cadence lull him into sleep. He sleeps fairly well, although his dreams begin to be punctuated by cardigans and puppets, but well, that is still much more pleasant than some of his dreams, so really Steve doesn’t see a problem. That week he has two more babysitting days with Stella, where she, in her infinite 3 year old wisdom, introduces him to Daniel Tiger, the cartoon spinoff of the original Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. It makes Steve smile, and keeps Stella still, mostly, while he practices doing her hair. (Steve has perfected the two Afro puffs with bows look, but everything else is a work in progress.) 

“You know we’re distantly related?” He asks Sam over hot wings when they settle in at a small sports bar to watch basketball.

“We are? First I’ve heard of it.”

“Sam, not us.” Sam looks at him and lifts an eyebrow, “Me and Fred Rogers.”

“Ha! For real?”

“Yeah,” Steve, smiles, really smiles, “I looked online, and uh, at some things that aren’t as publicly online.”

“Damn, look at you, hacking into stuff like you’re in the twenty first century,” Steve rolls his eyes at the jab, but the both smile, “So you’re still on the Mr. Rogers thing, huh?”

“I’m not on a thing. I’m just, interested.”

“How interested?” Sam asked. 

“I read a couple books, it’s no big deal.”

“Steve. I can see your brain work from the sky.”

“Well, what would you think, what if, what if I did my own version of the show? What do you think?” Sam’s mouth hangs open for a beat, and then he closes it.

“It couldn’t be much worse than half the stuff for kids these days, I guess. I mean, your acting chops are about on par with-“

“Sam, I’m serious.” And he is. What he hadn’t told Sam, was that he had already sketched out set design and had ideas for rough 12 episodes. 

“Shit. I don’t know. Call Pepper if you’re serious.” Steve just grins and made a note to call Pepper in the morning.

Six months later the first episode of Commander Rogers’ Neighborhood premiered on PBS. Steve and Stella visited the Bronx Zoo and talked to a veterinarian. Smiling into the camera, Steve signed off “I like you, and I think you’re super, just the way you are.”

Six months and three days later, Bucky Barnes showed up on Sam Wilson’s doorstep and demanded to know how he let Steve get so bored he had time to star in and produce a children’s television program.

“You had one job, Wilson.”

“You know I’m also Captain America, now, right?”

“He’s wearing a cardigan, Wilson.”

“My mom knit it.”

**Author's Note:**

> I saw a great picture of someone doing a cosplay as a Mister Captain Rogers and this had been rattling around since. Thanks for indulging me :)


End file.
